The 25 Companies With the Best Interview Experience in 2026
Sandia National Laboratories leads with 80% of candidates calling the process positive, followed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (79%) and TechnipFMC (78%). National labs, defense and aerospace employers fill the list.
Key findings
Positive is the share of interview reports the candidate rated a positive experience. 300+ rated reports, known employers only. Method at the end.
The 25 best interview experiences
| # | Company | Positive | Negative | Offer rate | Difficulty | Reports | Median pay | Work-life |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandia National LaboratoriesNational Agencies | 80% | 9% | 62% | Average2.85 | 398 | $161,170 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins Applied Physics LaboratoryAerospace & Defense | 79% | 10% | 62% | Average2.73 | 310 | $172,500 | 4.3 |
| 3 | TechnipFMCEnergy & Utilities | 78% | 9% | 61% | Average2.91 | 448 | $103,922 | 4.1 |
| 4 | Universal Orlando ResortHotels & Resorts | 77% | 11% | 77% | Easy2.25 | 330 | $103,381 | 3.7 |
| 5 | DellTechnology | 77% | 8% | 57% | Average2.87 | 501 | $151,209 | 3.8 |
| 6 | Allegiant AirAirlines | 77% | 10% | 45% | Easy2.68 | 604 | $135,935 | 4.1 |
| 7 | University of MichiganColleges & Universities | 76% | 7% | 68% | Easy2.66 | 510 | $77,406 | 4.1 |
| 8 | Lockheed MartinAerospace & Defense | 76% | 6% | 64% | Easy2.58 | 611 | $124,644 | 4.4 |
| 9 | RTXAerospace & Defense | 76% | 10% | 58% | Easy2.65 | 514 | $136,700 | 4.1 |
| 10 | CapgeminiEnterprise Software | 75% | 12% | 66% | Average2.99 | 645 | $101,000 | 4.5 |
| 11 | IntelTechnology | 74% | 5% | 50% | Average3.05 | 1,199 | — | 4.2 |
| 12 | KBRAerospace & Defense | 74% | 14% | 71% | Easy2.59 | 452 | $123,966 | 4.1 |
| 13 | Texas InstrumentsElectronics Manufacturing | 74% | 7% | 37% | Average3.10 | 505 | $96,203 | 3.3 |
| 14 | CaterpillarMachinery Manufacturing | 74% | 10% | 37% | Average2.97 | 779 | $138,495 | 3.7 |
| 15 | Northrop GrummanAerospace & Defense | 74% | 10% | 67% | Easy2.52 | 516 | $146,553 | 4.1 |
| 16 | GE AerospaceAerospace & Defense | 73% | 11% | 56% | Average2.92 | 501 | $111,389 | 4.0 |
| 17 | Point Digital FinanceFinancial Services | 73% | 11% | 70% | Easy2.65 | 1,001 | — | 4.1 |
| 18 | ProtivitiBusiness Consulting | 73% | 12% | 62% | Average2.76 | 500 | $184,880 | 3.7 |
| 19 | JHU Applied Physics LaboratoryColleges & Universities | 73% | 13% | 70% | Easy2.67 | 536 | $116,500 | 3.9 |
| 20 | NordstromDepartment Stores | 73% | 12% | 75% | Easy2.42 | 537 | $188,800 | 3.2 |
| 21 | The Johns Hopkins UniversityColleges & Universities | 73% | 13% | 74% | Easy2.66 | 576 | $111,550 | 3.9 |
| 22 | NCREnterprise Software | 73% | 12% | 64% | Easy2.68 | 886 | $108,915 | 3.3 |
| 23 | Collins AerospaceAerospace & Defense | 73% | 10% | 58% | Average2.74 | 504 | $146,900 | 3.7 |
| 24 | ArcelorMittal MéxicoMetal & Mineral Manufacturing | 73% | 12% | 59% | Average2.85 | 508 | $112,500 | 3.6 |
| 25 | CognizantIT Support Services | 73% | 14% | 57% | Average2.80 | 534 | $117,000 | 3.6 |
The positive column runs only from 73% to 80%, so the whole table is within seven points. The difficulty column is where they differ: Universal Orlando at 2.25 and Nordstrom at 2.42 are easy loops, Texas Instruments at 3.10 and Intel at 3.05 are above average. Offer rate is the column that explains the ranking. Twenty of the 25 convert above 50%, and the ones that do not (Allegiant 45%, Texas Instruments 37%, Caterpillar 37%) still keep negative rates at or under 10%. Candidates forgive a no. They do not forgive silence.
The pattern is not that these companies run easy interviews. Intel is a 3.05, Texas Instruments a 3.10, Capgemini a 2.99, all at or above the average loop. What they share is a decision at the end. The median offer rate on this list is about 62%, against 53% for all companies. Candidates rate a process well when it respects their time and tells them where they stand.
Frequently asked questions
Which company has the best interview experience in 2026?
Sandia National Laboratories, with 80% of candidates rating the process positive and 9% negative, across 398 reports. Johns Hopkins APL (79%) and TechnipFMC (78%) follow.
Why do defense and aerospace companies rank so high?
They combine average difficulty with offer rates above 50%, so candidates leave with a decision rather than silence. Lockheed Martin has the lowest negative rate on the list at 6%.
Does any Big Tech company make the list?
Dell at 77% positive and Intel at 74%. Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft do not appear in the top 25.
Are these easy interviews?
Mostly average. Intel (3.05), Texas Instruments (3.10) and Capgemini (2.99) are at or above the median loop. Universal Orlando (2.25) and Nordstrom (2.42) are the easiest on the list.
How this was built
Interview reports are candidate-submitted interview experiences in Dataford's pipeline (Glassdoor, Blind, LeetCode and other sources). Difficulty is 1 (very easy) to 5 (very difficult); 3 is average. Experience is the share of reports marked positive or negative. Offer rate counts only reports that were fully parsed; companies whose reports carry no offer information at all are excluded from offer rankings.
Employee ratings for work-life balance, career opportunities, management and overall are 1 to 5. Where a company has 500+ Glassdoor reviews in its aggregate profile that figure is used; otherwise Dataford's own scraped review sample (100+ reviews). Pay is the company median across tech-role pay bands: leveled total-comp ladders where published, otherwise best-supported posted ranges (15+ data points). Posted ranges understate equity-heavy packages.
Each ranking states its own threshold. Near-duplicate company names were merged and review-farm entries removed. Snapshot 4 September 2026. Built from internal data only.